PRJ98: Changing Fixed Work Tasks Duration Results in Wrong Value

• Microsoft Project 98 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Project 98, when reducing a task's duration, the duration may not change to the value you enter. Instead, it may change back to the original value or to a value between the new duration and the original duration.

CAUSE

This problem occurs if all of the following conditions are true:

• The task has a resource assigned to it.



• The task type is Fixed Work.



• The task is greater than 0 percent complete.



• After making the task a successor to another task, Microsoft Project automatically split the task so the remaining work was scheduled after the predecessor finish date.



• After making the predecessor/successor relationship, you changed the duration to a larger value.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, follow these steps:

1. Remove the predecessor/successor relationship between the two tasks. To do this, select the tasks and click Unlink Tasks on the Edit menu.



2. On the task that was the successor, enter the duration to the value you want.



3. Re-create the predecessor/successor relationship between the two tasks. To do this, select the tasks and click Link Tasks on the Edit menu.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the versions of Microsoft Project listed above.

This problem was corrected in Microsoft Project 98 for Windows, Service Release 1 (SR-1).

For additional information about obtaining and installing SR-1, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: Q185102
TITLE : PRJ98: How to Obtain and Install MS Project 98 SR-1

MORE INFORMATION

If you are changing duration on a Fixed Work task, Microsoft Project spreads the scheduled work or remaining work across the new duration. When increasing duration to a task that Microsoft Project has split, it correctly spreads the remaining work across the new duration but does not do this when decreasing the duration. Microsoft Project only splits the remaining work for a task because of a task relationship.

Additional query words:

Keywords          : projwin 
Version           : WINDOWS:98
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbbug 

Last Reviewed: July 16, 1999